Southern Oregon University professors overwhelmingly lack confidence in the school's administration, according to the results of a confidential vote released yesterday..

The results of the week-long tally, released by the Faculty Senate, show that most of the 217 faculty members who voted have no confidence in the ability of Vice President of Finance and Administration Craig Morris, Provost Jim Klein and President Mary Cullinan.

The Mail Tribune reports that all but one member of the Faculty Senate voted in favor of holding the confidential vote.

Medford teachers won't vote on a tentative contract agreement with the Medford School District until next week, according to the Medford Mail Tribune.

Union officials say they want an informed vote, so they will distribute ballots Monday to union representatives from each school. Those representatives will pass the ballots out to teachers, who will seal their votes in confidential envelopes.

Supporters of the striking Medford teachers are being called to occupy the offices of the Medford School District this morning. A facebook effort has been launched, urging supporters to go to the offices at 7 this morning.

Union officials say they don’t know who is organizing the event, but it is posted as a peaceful protest.

In a comment on the Occupy549C facebook page, the author says he recognizes that teachers will not be able to go on the district property, but urges teachers to ask family and friends to participate.

Talks between striking Medford teachers and the Medford School District continued yesterday and both sides say they are intent on settling a contract as quickly as possible. The parties have agreed not to disclose details of their proposals.

The Mail Tribune reports that talks were continuing late into the night.

The Medford School District hired 24 more substitute teachers over the holiday weekend and shifted some classified support staff to elementary schools to balance out the adult-to-student ratio, according to district officials.

Classes will resume today after the long holiday weekend.

The Mail Tribune reports that last week, enrollment districtwide dropped from 68 percent Tuesday to 44 percent Friday. Students reported large class sizes and inadequate instruction under substitute teachers.

Attendance in schools across the Medford School District dropped for the fourth consecutive day Friday. Some parents chose to keep children at home while some North Medford High School students joined the picket lines with their teachers on Thursday.

48 percent of the district's more than 12,000 students went to school Thursday, according to district reports. That number fell to 44 percent on Friday.

Tuesday students were met by substitute teachers who crossed picket lines to get to classrooms. District officials report about 68 percent of students showed up. According to the Medford Mail Tribune, one North Medford High School student reported class sizes of as many as 60 students. The large size prompted a walkout by the seniors.

Many Medford students will return to class today, but their teachers won’t be there. District teachers have been on strike since Thursday.

After being closed for three days while the Medford School District made strike preparations, schools are reopening today with half-day schedules.

The Medford Mail Tribune reports that Superintendent Phil Long would not verify exactly how many substitutes the district had hired. He also declined comment on the number of teachers who had decided to return to school despite the strike.

Oregon State mediators will meet separately with bargaining teams from the Medford School District and its teachers union this afternoon in the hopes of settling contract disputes before a Feb. 6 strike.

The Medford Education Association notified the district yesterday of its intent to strike in 10 days as required by law. The union's bargaining team walked away from negotiations Friday, saying the district was unwilling to budge on its latest contract offer.

After nearly a year of contract negotiations, Medford teachers will vote tonight (January 23) on whether to strike.

The Mail Tribune reports that bargaining teams from the Medford School District and the Medford Education Association have met three times this month, totaling about 30 hours, to negotiate the remaining articles of a new contract.

The district implemented the contract in late December without support of the teachers' union.

About 50,000 unemployed Californians have had their benefit checks delayed as the state struggles to implement a computer system upgrade.The Sacramento Bee reports that the Employment Development Department processed about 15,000 of the delayed claims by Tuesday morning and hoped to finish the rest by the end of the week.